


high (keep up)

by unbecomings



Category: Runaways (TV 2017)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-28 23:10:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13281870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbecomings/pseuds/unbecomings
Summary: Nico thinks that Karolina's ability to fly is cool. Karolina just wants her attention.





	high (keep up)

**Author's Note:**

> Since we don't actually know what's happening after the next episode, I assumed they're going to run away...so this takes place after the confrontation with their parents, which I kept vague for obvious reasons, after they've run away and holed up somewhere together. Rated T because Nico curses like a sailor.

There’s no good answer to “what now.” Nobody wants to think or talk about what they’re doing, least of all Karolina, who can’t shake the constant guilt. If she’s not guilty about her parents, about everything she’s done and not done, then she’s guilty about the fact that she isn’t in school. 

“It’s like summer camp,” Molly keeps saying, and nobody seems to be able to wholeheartedly agree with her. In spite of that, Karolina is _sure_ that they did the right thing. 

Nico isn’t.

“Guys,” she says, “this is bullshit. We don’t have a plan. And don’t give me any of that ‘we have each other’ shit, because kumbaya can’t sustain a human life. We’re like, very, intensely fucked.”

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Karolina says gently. Nico hasn’t really made eye contact with her since--well, for a while--but she hasn’t really made eye contact with anyone else, either. Karolina is trying not to take it personally. Mostly she wants to be able to stop Nico from being afraid, which is what she’s wanted all along, not that she’d admit it out loud (and certainly not to Gert, who probably already knows). 

“Easy for you to say,” Nico says, “you have the cool superpower. I’m doomed to be a freak witch for the rest of my life. If we lived on the other side of the country they’d burn me at the stake.”

“Nobody does that anymore,” Molly says, attempting to be helpful. Nobody else is paying attention to Nico, whose small frame is hunched into a ball that Karolina is sure she could wrap herself all the way around.

“Super helpful,” Nico says, and then she loses Molly’s attention, too. 

“Your powers are cool,” Karolina tries. She sounds intensely lame. She was unaware it was possible to sound lame talking about someone’s superpowers, but she’s learning something new every ten minutes nowadays. Nico scoffs.

“I look like a cartoon character with this thing,” she says.

“And I don’t?” Karolina counters, and then, finally, Nico smiles, just a little at the corner of her mouth, with her gaze still on her knees.

“You can fly, though,” Nico says.

“Maybe you can too,” Karolina says, “with the staff.”

“I’m not gonna try that,” Nico says.

“You don’t wanna fly?” Karolina asks.

“I don’t wanna go splat,” Nico replies. There’s not enough light for Karolina to be able to see if Nico is blushing, but the way her mouth is twisted up to the side is suspicious. As far as flirting goes, it’s a little weird. But then, Karolina’s not sure what _isn’t_ weird, anymore.

“Hey,” she says, “I have an idea.”

-

“Seriously,” Nico says, “this is a weird way to kill time.”

“Just trust me,” Karolina says.

“You don’t even know how this works,” Nico insists.

“Neither do you,” Karolina says. “I’ll catch you if it doesn’t work.”

“You will drop me,” Nico says, holding the staff with both hands, “and Chase will have to scrape me up off the sidewalk.”

“I will not drop you,” Karolina counters, “and anyway, I won’t need to catch you, because you’re gonna fly.”

“I don’t even know why I’m doing this,” Nico mumbles. She glances up at Karolina, making eye contact, finally, and Karolina almost pulls a neck muscle smiling back as quickly and encouragingly as she can. Was it weird? Probably. It was almost definitely too much. Things would have been easier and a lot more romantic if she had died tragically instead of having to figure out how to flirt with a girl. A girl who she’s not even sure likes her back. It’s not like she can _ask_.

“C’mon,” Karolina says. She backs up to the edge of the roof, holds her arms out, and falls backwards over the edge. She can hear Nico gasp and start to say her name, but as soon as she closes her eyes she’s floating, as if she’s on her back in the pool. When she opens her eyes, she rights herself so that her feet are toward the ground. Nico is standing at the edge of the roof, mouth open, staff clutched in her hands.

“Jesus Christ,” she croaks, “you scared the shit out of me. God, that’s weird.”

“You just said it was cool ten minutes ago,” Karolina says.

“The rainbow thing is cool,” Nico says, “the flying is cool, the falling-over-the-edge-of-the-building-with-no-warning thing, not cool.”

“Okay,” Karolina laughs, giddy from the height and the glowing and the way that the lights-- _her_ lights--dance across Nico’s face, “next time I’ll warn you. You ready?”

Nico makes that face again, her lips quirking to one side. There’s a determined set to her narrow shoulders that Karolina knows means ‘yes’ even if she’s not going to say it.

“I won’t let you fall,” Karolina says gently.

“Shut up,” Nico mutters, and this time she is definitely blushing. Karolina drops a few feet and looks up at Nico looking down at her, her doc martens hanging over the edge of the roof. Nico’s brows are furrowed when she closes her eyes, pulls the staff close to her chest, and steps off the edge.

“Fly!” she shouts, and it kind of works. She bursts up a foot or two, and then she falls, screams, and bursts up again. It’s totally inconsistent, not something she’s controlling at all, but she’s not falling, not really. She’s panicking, flailing her arms, and Karolina reaches for her, wrapping an arm around Nico’s waist. They’re sideways now, taking the ground into account. Nico almost smacks Karolina in the face with the staff when she throws an arm around Karolina’s shoulders, and then Karolina gets them upright again. 

With an arm around Nico’s waist and Nico’s around her shoulders, it’s almost like they’re slow-dancing. Nico isn’t shorter than her like this, so they’re face to face. Karolina can feel Nico’s racing heartbeat, and she’s surprised by how calm _she_ feels. 

“Did you just wanna save the damsel in distress?” Nico murmurs. Karolina isn’t sure how to answer until Nico’s eyes drop to her lips, and then her heart is racing, too.

“Maybe,” she admits.

“Romantic,” Nico says.

“Maybe I was just trying to get your attention,” Karolina says. This feels more like flirting than whatever they were doing before. She feels like she’s filled to the brim with champagne, like bubbles are going to burst out of her any second.

“Kinda hard to miss when you’re all rainbow and glowy,” Nico says, “or...in that dress, or whatever. I mean, people always notice you. Chase is obsessed with you,” she finishes.

“Not anymore, “Karolina says, “him and Gert--”

“Yeah,” Nico says, “I know, I just meant. You didn’t have to do anything to make me...anyone notice you. Everyone always did.”

She’s right. Karolina knows it. She was never popular, but she knew what people saw when they looked at her, and in spite of the fact that they weren’t seeing her as she knew she really was, they were still, in a way, noticing her. 

“I don’t care about everyone,” she says.

Nico holds eye contact with her for a few seconds after that, a few seconds that feel like a really, really long time. Then she leans in and they’re kissing again, only Karolina hadn’t planned it and she has no idea what to do. They’re pressed so close together, and Nico is the one initiating it, and Karolina is terrified of breaking this spell or whatever it is, so scared that she forgets to kiss back.

Nico pulls away, her arm on Karolina’s shoulders slackening.

“Um,” Nico says, “wow, I...sorry, I guess I thought--”

Karolina kisses her again as soon as she realizes that Nico thinks she’s done something wrong. She doesn’t know how to say that Nico was right to think this was what she wanted, and it’s easier just to do this. Also--she kind of wants to keep kissing Nico, like, forever. This time when they pull apart they’re both smiling like idiots.

“Okay?” Karolina asks.

“Yeah,” Nico says, “but can you put me down now?”


End file.
